18of34Princess Margaret eyes a miniature cat, a reproduction of the cat sculpture stationed at the San Francisco Press Club she received as a memento of her visit, November 5, 1965. Behind her is British minister Michael StewartPhoto: / Associated Press photo 1965

22of34Princess Margaret heads out of the Huntington Hotel to an event in an eye-catching mink coat, November 4, 1965Photo: Photographer Unknown / The Chronicle 1965

23of34Princess Margaret smiles as Lord Snowdon (not seen) films one of the traveling party as they take the 17 mile drive on the Monterey Peninsula, November 6, 1965 photo ran 11/8/1965. P. 16Photo: / United Press International 1965

24of34Princess Margaret of Great Britain arrives at San Francisco International Airport November 4, 1965Photo: Bob Campbell / The Chronicle 1965

25of34Princess Margaret Lord Snowdon board a yacht at the St. Francis Yacht Club for a trip around the bay, November 5, 1965Photo: Bill Young / The Chronicle 1965

27of34Princess Margaret eyes the cat sculpture stationed at the San Francisco Press Club she visited, November 4, 1965. with her is Lord Snowdon, Lady-in-waiting Elizabeth Cavendish and British minister Michael StewartPhoto: Bill Young / The Chronicle 1965

28of34Princess Margaret checks out the views from Coit Tower with Lord Snowdon holding the viewer steady, November 5, 1965Photo: Bill Young / The Chronicle 1965

30of34Princess Margaret uses binoculars to look at seals party on the 17 mile drive on the Monterey Peninsula, November 6, 1965 Standing next to her is Stuyvesant Fish of CarmelPhoto: / United Press International 1965

31of34Princess Margaret of Great Britain at San Francisco International Airport, waves goodbye as she boards the plane bound for Los Angeles, November 7, 1965Photo: Art Frisch / The Chronicle

Princess Margaret of Great Britain may not have worn the crown, but she got a welcome fit for a queen when she visited San Francisco more than 50 years ago.

With the British royal family forever making headlines and the third season of Netflix’s “The Crown” set to premiere sometime in 2019, we took a trip to The Chronicle’s archive in search of photos and stories about Queen Elizabeth II’s famous and fashionable sibling, Princess Margaret. We weren’t disappointed.

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The princess’s social life and love affairs were regular features in the British tabloids for years, and when she came to San Francisco in 1965 the city lit up with anticipation and excitement. The Chronicle, for its part, featured her visit prominently on the front page and had at least five photographers cover the festivities.

Princess Margaret’s arrival at San Francisco International Airport with her husband, Lord Snowdon, on Nov. 4, 1965, was an event unto itself. The couple and an entourage of 16 were greeted by Mayor John Shelley, businessman Cyril Magnin and several other city dignitaries. Hundreds of fans flocked to the airport hoping to catch a glimpse of royalty.

Once in the city, the British visitors took up residence at the Huntington Hotel on Nob Hill, occupying all of the 12th floor and most of the 11th. They arrived with 75 pieces of luggage weighing over 1 ton, and a squad of six soldiers from the Presidio helped deliver the bags to the hotel. Somehow, they seemed to avoid any jokes — published at least — about bringing with them an enormous amount of “royal baggage.”

Most of the trip was filled with stately duties, such as an official greeting at City Hall followed by a charity luncheon and fashion show at the Hilton Hotel. The following day they visited UC Berkeley, followed by a few private functions, including a wild boar luncheon on the Monterey Peninsula.

The royal couple didn’t shy away from tourist traps, either: They made time for sightseeing, including a trip to Coit Tower and a cable car ride.

On Nov. 7, Princess Margaret attended Mass at Grace Cathedral before heading to SFO to board a Royal Air Force plane to Los Angeles.

Upon arriving in L.A., the princess relayed a familiar refrain for first-time visitors to the city: “I had heard so much about San Francisco that I was afraid I would be disappointed — but it lived up to my expectations.”

Photographers and spectators swarm Princess Margaret’s Rolls-Royce and motorcade as she leaves San Francisco City Hall on Nov. 4, 1965.

Photo: Joe Rosenthal / The Chronicle 1965

More from Chronicle Vault

•A salute to her majesty: Decades ago, Queen Elizabeth II came to the West Coast and the rare royal visit captivated Northern California. Here are long-buried photos and stories from her trip.

•Speaking of Brits: We dug up photos from Ringo Starr’s 1964 trip to the West Coast, which included a chaotic stopover at San Francisco International Airport. Beatlemania broke out in nearly unbelievable ways.

Bill Van Niekerken is the Library Director of the San Francisco Chronicle. He does research for reporters and editors and manages the photos, negatives and text archives. He has a weekly column “From the Archive”, that focuses on photo coverage of historic events. For this column Bill scans and publishes 20-30 images from photos and negatives that haven’t been seen in many years.

Bill started working at the Mercury News in 1980, when nothing in news libraries was digital. Research was done using paper clippings, and cameras shot film. He moved to the Chronicle in 1985, just as the library was beginning their digital text archive.